TEENAGERS at a Birmingham school were given tips for the top from Apprentice star Ruth Badger.

TEENAGERS at a Birmingham school were given tips for the top from Apprentice star Ruth Badger.

The business show runner-up shared the secrets of her success with 15 and 16-year-old pupils at Castle Vale School.

Ruth, aged 29, who grew up in Wednesfield, revealed that despite leaving school with just three GCSEs, she now earns around #1million a year.

"School wasn't a big issue for me because I knew from an early age what was important to me - money, that's what motivates me," she said.

Ruth said she went on The Apprentice because she is "competitive" and wanted to further her business career.

She was the runner-up in the 2006 series, but went on to work for Sir Alan Sugar for six months before setting up her own companies.

She is now the chief executive and managing director of a finance business and business consultancy and is hoping to start up a third company in the West Midlands.

Part of her work involves making an average of two speeches a week to business organisations, for which she charges between #5,000 and #15,000 a time.

She told the pupils how she went on a Youth Training Scheme when she left school at 16, then did a stint at a social security office.

But she started earning big bucks when she joined a Wolverhampton finance company as a processor. By the time she left was on #80,000 a year.

Ruth urged the pupils to follow her example and work hard to get what they wanted.

"Don't let 'can't' be a barrier," she said. "Get out there and do work experience and have self belief. Out of 300 kids here today, if just one of you listens to me and achieves something then it was worth me coming here."

Ruth now lives in Manchester but returns to Wednesfield every other weekend to see her family.